Is the air quality recorded in Nîmes in recent years cause for concern? ?

Unsurprisingly, it is near road traffic, here on Boulevard Allende, that the air quality is degraded. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

Since January 1st, the city of Nîmes has been in a low-emission zone. An approach to improve air quality. Data from Atmo Occitanie allows us to learn more about the situation in Nîmes.

The approved observatory for monitoring air quality, Atmo Occitanie, regularly shares the results of its surveys thanks to a large territorial network. We will have to wait until the end of March to obtain the 2024 report. However, the data from the previous year provide good indications of air quality in the Nîmes urban area.

We will have to wait to know the repercussions of the development of the Tango public transport network and the rise in power of the Low Emission Zone. The latter, imposed since January 1, 2025, criticized, is being applied in small steps by the City of Nîmes. She also wants the speed limit to be lowered on the motorways that cross the town, which could be beneficial for air quality.

Eight days of pollution for PM10 particles

But is Nîmes impacted by pollution ? Unsurprisingly, it is near the A9 and A54 motorways, as well as Boulevard Salvador Allende, that the map published by Atmo Occitanie on the thresholds exceeded, those which mark a deterioration in air quality, turns scarlet red.

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For Nîmes, eleven days of pollution episodes were recorded in 2023, including eight for PM10 suspended particles, a slight increase compared to 2022 and 2021 (7). If we rely on the figures made public by Atmo Occitanie for 2023 on the Nîmes Sud Urbain and Nîmes Planas stations (Boulevard Sergent Triaire), this becomes more reassuring.

For these PM10s, both sites go well beyond the quality objective. For the other particles, PM 2.5, dangerous if they are too high for young children, the elderly, pregnant women or people who suffer from allergies, the Nîmes Sud urbain station keeps a tiny margin to remain within the air quality objective while the Montpellier site exceeds the threshold.

Residents exposed

For NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), 63% of the total emitted by vehicles, Nîmes is also on target (150 to 400 people are however exposed to the limit value), as is the case for ozone. The Nîmes Sud urbain station displays lower concentrations than those of La Calmette, while on the Saze side, still in the Gard, the target value is exceeded if we take the average recorded over three years.

It should be noted that in the department, 11,600 inhabitants are exposed, according to Atmo Occitanie, to concentrations higher than the limit values ​​for nitrogen dioxide, 2,900 for PM10 suspended particles, 73,750 for fine particles. 100% of the population is exposed to exceeding the quality objective for ozone.

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